VPRS 13144 Register of Applications, St Arnaud, Section 49 Land Act 1869 (Occupation Branch)

VPRS 13144/P1 Register of Applications, St Arnaud, Section 49 Land Act 1869 (Occupation Branch) was created by the 'St Arnaud District Office' at the Occupation Branch of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538).VPRS 13144/P1 was previously registered as unit 195 of VPRS 458/P Applications Registers.The introduction of the Land Act 1869 saw all Crown land, not previously occupied in Victoria opened up for selection. Provisions were made in section 42 of the Land Act 1865 for selection before survey. Prior to this time surveys were conducted on all Crown land before it was made available. The provision of free selection before survey was carried to the 1869 Act. The aim of the legislation was to encourage settlement on lands that would be most advantageous to the colony.Under section 49 of the Land Act 1869 selectors could apply for a licence to occupy and cultivate auriferous (gold field) land. The licence was for one year and the size of the land occupied was not to exceed 20 acres. The licence was renewable each year with the payment of a licence fee. A selector could not hold more than one licence under section 49 of the Land Act 1869.The additional advantages provided to selectors as a result of the Land Act 1869 resulted in an exceptional number of applications to select Crown land. By 1873 the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538) was experiencing many problems in managing applications. Public complaints were at an all time high. The complaints ranged from extraordinarily long delays in application processing, applications being approved for more than one person on the same allotment and long delays in replying to correspondence.When an application to select Crown land was received by the Department it would be registered in a register of applications. Prior to 1874 and the establishment of the Occupation Branch all applications made under section 49 of the Land Act 1869 were recorded in the same series of registers irrespective of location; see VPRS 13128/P1. The contents of registers of applications were arranged alphabetically and application numbers were allocated consecutively in blocks for each letter of the alphabet.Separate registers of applications were usually created for each section of the Land Act under which individuals could apply to select land. For example, all applications received under section 49 of the Land Act 1869 were recorded in the same register. Sections of an Act that were less common were often recorded in the one register.In an attempt to try and rationalise the way the Department managed Crown land, the Occupation Branch was established in 1874 under the influence of H Byron Moore, Assistant Surveyor General. The Occupation Branch was to deal with all matters relating to the occupation of Crown land.The State was divided into fifteen Land Districts, these being Ararat, Ballarat, Beechworth, Benalla, Castlemaine and Dunolly, Echuca, Geelong Warrnambool and Camperdown, Hamilton, Horsham, Melbourne, Sale and Bairnsdale, Sandhurst (Bendigo), Seymour and St Arnaud. Each District was represented at the Occupation Branch in Melbourne by a 'District Land Office'.Each District Land Office consisted of a double table or desk at which both a clerk and draughtsman sat. Everything in the way of files, maps and plans were at convenient reach. The same officers dealt with the sale of Crown land from its 'inception to its disposition'. The District Offices' staff consisted essentially of a clerical officer and a draughtsman who dealt solely with that Land District. It was their business to know the District and to deal with all land business related to it. By 1877 each District Land Office, consisted of a District Officer, a rental clerk, a draughtsman and several general clerks.After the establishment of the Occupation Branch in 1874 and the division of the State into Land Districts, applications were registered by District. Each 'District Land Office' created and maintained their own series of registers of applications. Any new applications received by the Department after 1874 were registered in separate District registers with applications numbers that were allocated from the number one onwards. The same application number could be allocated for selections in different Districts. For example the application number 1021/49 could exist in both the Ballarat and Bendigo Land Districts, it is the District name plus the accompanying file number that is the unique identifier.Applicants completed an 'Application for Licence under Part II of Land Act 1869' form at District Survey Offices. Most Land Districts had a District Survey Office. The District Surveyor would enter the applicants' details in a register of applications kept at the District Survey Office. The register of applications allocated a number to each applicant. The application number was written on the application to select and subsequently became their land selection file number if their application was approved.The District Surveyor would enter into the register of applications the application number, the date the application was received, the applicants' name, occupation and parish, the allotment number and size (acres, roods and perches) applied for. The application was then forwarded to the appropriate District Land Office at the Occupation Branch in Melbourne. It was then entered in a duplicate register of applications there against the same application number. The District Surveyor also forwarded a tracing of the allotment applied for.The position of the allotment applied for was immediately charted on a working plan in pencil. The tracing was then sent to the Department of Mines and Water Supply (VA 2720) for a report on any mining objections. If there were no mining objections the application would be heard before a Local Land Board. Local Land Boards were made up of representatives from the local community and the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538). The Boards would hear from all applicants for an allotment and would decide who was to be granted the licence or lease. The schedule documenting the decisions of the Local Land Board was forwarded to the appropriate District Land Office at the Occupation Branch and the decision was entered into the register of applicationsThe Board of Land and Works (VA 744), the statutory authority for the management of Crown land would give final approval for land selection, acting on the recommendation of the Local Land Board. The decision of the Board of Lands and Works (VA 744) was then recorded in the register of applications. The registers also record the date of the licence issue and any subsequent action in relation to that file. The selectors granted each allotment would then be recorded on the working plan by the District Land Office draughtsman at the Occupation Branch. The tracing of the allotment was then sent to the Crown Land Bailiff responsible for that Land District.After the creation of the Occupation Branch, applications made under the Land Act 1869 that had been registered prior to 1874 were copied to District Indexes that were separate from registers created for new applications received. These District Indexes that recorded pre 1874 applications are arranged alphabetically but the application numbers are not consecutive. An Index for the St Arnaud District is not in the custody of PROV as at September 2002.The new registers of applications were arranged by Land District and by section of Land Act applications were received under. For example, all applications received under section 49 of the Land Act 1869 for the Ballarat Land District were recorded in the same series of registers. Sections of an Act that were less common were often recorded in the one District register.Registers of applications control selection and occupation files. If an application to select Crown land was successful, the application number would become the file number. For example if an application to select under section 49 of the Land Act 1869 was registered as application number 324 then the selection or occupation file number would be 324/49.The application number remained the selection file number for a particular piece of land if all terms and conditions were met and the selection resulted in a Crown Grant. However, often the original selector did not end up owning the land. Many selectors forfeited or abandoned their licence. If this were the case then the land was re-opened up for selection. Any new applicants were registered in a register of applications under a new application number. The original applicants file would be attached to the new selectors file. The new file number was annotated in the register against the original selectors' entry.Even if the same selector applied for a licence on land he had previously forfeited a new application number would be allocated and the file would have a new selection file number.

VPRS 13144/P1《圣阿尔诺（St Arnaud）申请登记册》（依据1869年《土地法》第49条（职业分支），由王室土地与测量部（Department of Crown Lands and Survey，VA 538）职业分支的“圣阿尔诺地区办事处”编制。VPRS 13144/P1 此前登记为VPRS 458/P申请登记册的第195单元。1869年《土地法》的出台，将维多利亚州此前未被占用的全部王室土地开放以供认领。1865年《土地法》第42条就已规定可在测量前认领土地，在此之前，所有王室土地均需完成测量后方可投放市场。这项测量前免费认领的条款被纳入1869年法案。该立法的目的是鼓励在对殖民地最有利的土地上定居。根据1869年《土地法》第49条，认领者可申请许可证以占用并耕种含金（金矿区）土地。许可证有效期为一年，占用土地面积不得超过20英亩。缴纳许可证费用后可每年续期。根据1869年《土地法》第49条，一名认领者不得持有超过一份许可证。1869年《土地法》为认领者带来的额外优势，使得认领王室土地的申请数量激增。到1873年，王室土地与测量部（VA 538）在管理申请时遭遇诸多难题：公众投诉达到顶峰，投诉涵盖申请处理周期过长、同一地块被批准给多人、回复函件耗时过久等问题。当王室土地认领申请被该部门收到后，会被登记在申请登记册中。1874年职业分支成立之前，所有依据1869年《土地法》第49条提交的申请，均被记录在同一套登记册中，参见VPRS 13128/P1。申请登记册按字母顺序排列，申请编号按字母块连续分配。通常，每部《土地法》条款下的认领申请会单独设立登记册——例如，所有依据1869年《土地法》第49条收到的申请，均被记录在同一登记册中。较为冷门的法案条款，通常仅使用同一本登记册进行记录。为了合理化王室土地的管理方式，1874年在助理测量总监H·拜伦·摩尔（H Byron Moore）的推动下，职业分支正式成立，负责所有与王室土地占用相关的事务。该州被划分为15个土地地区，分别为：阿拉拉特、巴拉瑞特、比奇沃思、贝纳拉、卡斯尔梅恩与杜诺利、伊丘卡、吉朗-瓦南布尔与坎珀当、汉密尔顿、霍舍姆、墨尔本、塞尔与贝尔斯代尔、桑德赫斯特（本迪戈）、西摩以及圣阿尔诺。每个地区均由设于墨尔本职业分支的“地区土地办事处”代表。每个地区土地办事处设有双人办公桌，一名办事员与一名绘图员共同办公。文件、地图与平面图等资料均置于随手可得的位置。同一批工作人员负责从王室土地出售的“全程”，从受理到处置。地区办事处的工作人员主要为一名办事员与一名绘图员，专门负责该土地地区的事务。他们的职责是熟悉本地区，并处理与该地区相关的所有土地业务。到1877年，每个地区土地办事处已配备一名地区官员、一名租金办事员、一名绘图员与数名普通办事员。1874年职业分支成立且该州划分为土地地区后，申请按地区进行登记。每个“地区土地办事处”创建并维护各自的申请登记册系列。1874年之后部门收到的所有新申请，均登记在单独的地区登记册中，申请编号从1开始依次分配。不同地区可使用相同的申请编号，例如巴拉瑞特与本迪戈土地地区均可存在申请编号1021/49，唯有地区名称搭配附带的文件编号，方可构成唯一标识符。认领者需在地区测量办事处填写《1869年《土地法》第二部分下的许可证申请表。大多数土地地区均设有地区测量办事处。地区测量员会将认领者的详细信息登记在设于地区测量办事处的申请登记册中，并为每位申请人分配编号。该申请编号会被标注在认领申请表上，若申请获批，该编号即成为其土地认领文件编号。地区测量员会在申请登记册中填写：申请编号、申请收到日期、认领者姓名、职业与教区、申请的地块编号与面积（英亩、路得与杆）。随后，申请会被转送至墨尔本职业分支对应的地区土地办事处，并在当地的重复申请登记册中以相同的申请编号进行登记。地区测量员还会附带提交申请地块的草图。申请地块的位置会立即以铅笔标注在工作规划图上。随后，草图会被送至矿业与供水部（Department of Mines and Water Supply，VA 2720），以获取是否存在采矿异议的报告。若无采矿异议，申请将交由当地土地委员会听证。当地土地委员会由当地社区代表与王室土地与测量部（VA 538）的代表组成。委员会会听取所有地块申请人的陈述，并决定将许可证或租赁权授予何人。记录当地土地委员会决议的清单会被送至墨尔本职业分支对应的地区土地办事处，决议内容会被登记在申请登记册中。土地与工程委员会（Board of Land and Works，VA 744）——负责管理王室土地的法定机构，会依据当地土地委员会的建议，对土地认领给予最终批准。土地与工程委员会（VA 744）的决议随后会被登记在申请登记册中。登记册还会记录许可证颁发日期以及与该文件相关的所有后续行动。获得认领地块的认领者，其信息会被职业分支的地区土地办事处绘图员标注在工作规划图上。申请地块的草图随后会被送至负责该土地地区的王室土地执行官。职业分支成立后，1874年之前登记的、依据1869年《土地法》提交的申请，会被抄录至与新申请登记册之外的地区索引中。这些记录1874年之前申请的地区索引按字母顺序排列，但申请编号并非连续。截至2002年9月，圣阿尔诺地区的索引并未由维多利亚公共记录办公室（Public Record Office Victoria，PROV）保管。新的申请登记册按土地地区与申请所依据的《土地法》条款进行排列。例如，所有依据1869年《土地法》第49条收到的、来自巴拉瑞特土地地区的申请，均被记录在同一套登记册中。较为冷门的法案条款，通常仅在单个地区登记册中记录。申请登记册管控认领与占用文件。若王室土地认领申请获批后，申请编号即成为文件编号。例如，若依据1869年《土地法》第49条提交的认领申请登记编号为324，则认领或占用文件编号即为324/49。若所有条款与条件均得到满足且认领最终获得王室授予，该申请编号将成为特定地块的认领文件编号。然而，许多情况下，最初的认领者往往并未最终拥有该土地。众多认领者丧失或放弃了其许可证。若出现这种情况，土地会被重新开放以供认领。新的申请人会被分配新的申请编号登记在申请登记册中。原申请人的文件会被附加至新认领者的文件中。新的文件编号会在登记册中原认领者条目旁进行标注。即使同一认领者就此前丧失的土地再次申请许可证，也会被分配新的申请编号，文件也会拥有新的认领文件编号。